Jonathan Carroll

Tis the season of gratitude and family, so I thought it fitting to interview the person who inspired me to first set pen to paper: my father, Jonathan Carroll. One of my favorite pictures is of us sitting at his desk when I was very young. Propped up on a stack of books, I sit next to him pecking away on his typewriter, while he’s writing one of his novels with a fountain pen into some grand notebook. Every one of his 20 published works has been crafted this way.

RC: Can you tell us a little bit about your writing process?

JC: When I describe my writing process to people they often think I’m nuts because it’s so backward and illogical. I begin by typing very quickly anything and everything that comes to mind as far as a plot line goes. Then I get out one of my beloved old Parker 51 fountain pens and write down what I have typed, editing while I go. Then I write it again, slowly, looking to see what I really want to keep or throw out. Finally I copy the finished story into some really beautiful notebook which I have chosen for this specific novel or collection of stories. The notebooks have come from all over– Greece, Jordan, Austria, Italy… As all handwriters know, there’s nothing more fun than searching for that great one of a kind notebook in a stationary or supplies store in some far corner of the city or the earth. At the end, I simply type up what I have written and send it to my agent.

RC: When did you realize that handwriting was a critical piece to your process?

JC: I’ve always done it. I don’t think there was an ‘ah ha!’ moment when I realized I had to see the story through the lens of my handwriting on a page. I just know that from the beginning it was an integral part of the process for me.

RC: How has that process changed over the years?

JC: Computers are dangerous for a writer because what you type looks so pretty and finished up there on that screen that you’re always tempted (or at least I am) to say ‘it’s done– send it off.’. This used to be the case with typed manuscripts, but less so because you were always having to backspace or use ‘White-Out’ to correct mistakes or make changes in a manuscript, But a computer makes it so effortless to quickly come up with what LOOKS like a finished product that it’s easy to fool yourself into believing whatever you wrote is as good as it looks. Handwriting anything makes me think hard about what I really want to keep or throw out. Because the process is generally slow, I’m thinking all the time while my hand moves across the page. While using any kind of keyboard device, my fingers are whizzing much faster than my mind can think and that is a dangerous thing if you want to write it right..

RC: You once said that your book’s not done until you’ve written it out by hand. Can you tell us more about that?

JC: So much time and care goes into hand writing a three or four hundred page manuscript that you really feel like you have given birth to something straight out of your brain. There is a blankness, an anonymity if I can put it that way, to seeing one of my stories in a pile of typed sheets or up on a computer screen. But handwritten in Iroshizuku ink on a beautiful notebook page with my favorite pen– then all of it is mine. My words, my ink, my pen.

RC:What does the process of handwriting yield that typing does not?

JC: Humanity.

RC: It seems that you’re not beholden to any type of notebook. Can you tell us about that?

JC: No. I’m a grazer in paper stores. Anywhere I go in the world one of the first things I do is seek them out, always looking for that perfect notebook or cool cheap pen that I can keep in a coat pocket and not worry too much about losing, but enjoying it for however long it chooses to live with me. I like all kinds of pens and notebooks, but I choose carefully the notebook I want to use for the finished product of any novel I write.

About Ryder Carroll

This is beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing this lovely interview with us, Ryder. Jonathan seems like he knows what he’s talking about. I will take his advice to heart. Time to grab a nice writing notebook and play around with ink scratches across the pages. I can see where the concept of migration emerged, it’s lovely finding out more about the process of how the Bullet Journal came to be and who you were influenced by. 🙂

Ryder Carroll

I’m glad you liked it!

Priya Sebastian

There is something reassuring about knowing that there are authors who still write by hand using a fountain pen and good ink. I enjoyed reading this interview. I was wondering if Mr.Carroll would like to post a picture or two of one of his beautiful notebooks and a page of his handwriting on his Facebook fan page. That is something I would like to look at very much.

ink

I really enjoyed this article. I appreciate the kindred spirit who appreciates shopping for great pens and paper. I just returned from my first trip to Japan. My fellow travelers could not understand my desire to keep searching out the next stationary store! Mostly, I appreciate the reminder to take the time to write things out by hand, carefully considering what we are doing. Thank you!
I’d also like to know which notebook he prefers. I, too, would like a picture!

Justin Isenhour

+1 on the seeing some photos of the finished notebooks.

Letitia Walker

Outside the Dog Museum is one of the most treasured books in my library. And bullet journaling has been life-changing for me this year. What a surprise to discover that you two are father and son. Thanks for sharing!

Dawn Paoletta

I appreciate you sharing this interview. I love hearing about fellow writers and their intimacy with the process of writing. Just so neat that your dad is so accomplished in his chosen pursuit. What a powerful impact and influence on you.

Mori

I’ve always loved to write myself, and I can never write a good story if it starts on a screen. I’m never truly happy with it if I’m not typing it from my handwritten version first. It’s a wonderful feeling to find an accomplished author who follows the same process I do, and shares the need to find the correct tools for their work. I’ve always had a compulsion to buy new and interesting notebooks and pens. It’s a joy to know I’m not alone.

Wow. I love the idea of writing entire novels by hand. Unfortunately, my carpal tunnel is too painful to do so. However, I’ve amassed many personal journals and I can definitely see the value and pride in writing your most passionate and intimate thoughts by hand. I guess handwriting would be the way to go if you don’t mind how long it takes—especially with hand and wrist pain—but if you’re trying to get a backlog of books written, the computer is so much faster, especially if you use amazing writing software like Scrivener.